


Silver and Gold

by ThePrettiestOfLights



Series: The Children of the Full Moon [2]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: F/F, Sequel, mentions of vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 19:08:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9507998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrettiestOfLights/pseuds/ThePrettiestOfLights
Summary: It's been two days, and Ross is still ill.Can a stranger in the woods save him?Or will this be more trouble than it's worth?//This is a sequel to Children of the Full Moon. I suggest reading that first :)





	1. Two Days Later

**Author's Note:**

> IT'S HERE!  
> I'm sorry for the delay, life happened!  
> Shout out to Silvery_Moon_Thing, who is very cool and lovely and you should all go read her stuff because she's been very supportive while I've been writing this and deserves love.

It had been two days since Rythian had nearly died, since Zoeya had lost her arm, and since the last Full Moon. It had been three days since the camp had been attacked, Lomadia had taken the almost-fatal knife, since they’d lost everything. Athena and Hoot had been scouting ahead, but had flown back when they’d realised there was nothing for miles ahead.  
For two days, they had been walking North, away from the group of hunters Lomadia and Smith had seen by the lake.  
“Hey, we need to stop again!” Trott shouted from the back of the group.  
“Why? We stopped thirty minutes ago.” Nano said, slowing and turning around.  
“Because Ross just threw up on me again.” Smith complained. Ross whimpered.  
Rythian stepped away from Ross in disgust. “That, is gross.”  
“I think we should stop for a little while, Nano. Zoey isn’t doing very well either.” Saberial said.  
“I’m fine, Saber.” Zoeya insisted. “We don’t have to stop for me.”  
“You said not two seconds ago that your feet hurt.” Nilesy smiled, trying not to sound out of breath. Tee nodded in agreement.  
“Well, shut up.” Zoey said. Nilesy laughed.  
“We can’t stop for too long, the hunters will catch up with us again.” Lalna said. The Hats had already sat down in protest, and Saberial was crouched next to them, trying to figure out why Ross was still throwing up. Trott had told them he was usually fine a few hours after the full moon, but this time he was still very, very ill.  
“Nano, Lal, we’ve been walking for nearly two days, Ross is throwing up his organs, which isn’t pleasant, Rythian and Zoey are still recovering, Saber is exhausted from healing Ross repeatedly, and we haven’t seen any hunters in days.” Lomadia said.  
“That’s because you can’t see far enough.” Lalna muttered under his breath. Lomadia didn’t hear him.  
“Please, can we stop for ten minutes, before one of us collapses.” Lomadia finished.  
Nano sighed, and threw up her hands. “Fine, we’ll stop. But we’re not making a campfire this time.”  
“Thank god!” Nilesy cried as he collapsed onto the grass twenty yards away from where the Hats were sitting. Tee sat at Nilesy’s feet, bow in his lap. Saberial gave up trying to figure out what was wrong with Ross and sat down with Zoeya on Tee’s left side. Lomadia and Rythian lay down next to each other at the base of an old Elm tree. Lalna and Nano sat as far away from Lomadia as they could get.  
“We can’t carry on walking like this, you could be dying!” Smith exclaimed.  
“Saberial reckons there’s nothing seriously wrong with me, but the hunters I tore apart didn’t do well for my stomach.” Ross said. Even Ross didn’t know what was wrong with him, he assumed that travelling without much time to rest had slowed his recovery time. He secretly blamed Nano and Lalna for forcing them to carry on moving.  
“What the fuck does she know?” Trott asked.  
“About twice as much as you do, mate.” Smith replied.  
“I’m fine, honestly.” Ross insisted. “Calm yourselves.”

* * *

“We need to get you a new arm.” Nilesy said.  
“What do you mean?” Zoeya asked.  
“I mean, like, a prosthetic.” Nilesy said. Zoeya gave him a blank look.  
“Oh, I know what you’re talking about!” Saberial exclaimed. “Zoey, do you remember that girl from our home town, who lost her leg to a monster when she was really little?”  
“Yeah, but I can’t remember her name.” Zoeya replied.  
“Well, do you remember the clockwork leg she had?” Saberial asked. “We could get you a clockwork arm!”  
“Where would we get a clockwork arm from?” Zoeya asked.  
“Lalna could make you one.” Nilesy suggested. “I’m sure he would if you asked him.”  
“I don’t know if I trust Lalna anyway near, well, anything.” Zoeya said. Nilesy and Saberial laughed. Tee drew back his bow and tried to shoot a rabbit that had just left its warren. He missed by less than an inch.  
“Tee, stop doing that to the poor rabbits!” Zoeya exclaimed. Tee shrugged.  
“I don’t blame him; we’re running out of food.” Saberial said. “We’ll have to go hunting sooner or later.”  
“Let’s hope everyone gets better by then.” Nilesy said.

* * *

“What are Nano and Lalna talking about?” Rythian asked, as he stared up into the leaves of the elm tree, having listened to Lomadia recite the others’ conversations.  
“I don’t know, they’re too far away for me to hear.” Lomadia said. “I bet they’ve done it on purpose.”  
“Most people don’t appreciate being listened in on.” Rythian said.  
“You’re the one who keeps telling me to do it.” Lomadia smiled.  
“It’s not telling, it’s suggesting.” Rythian shrugged. “I like to know what people are thinking.”  
“You’re paranoid.” Lomadia said.  
“I am not.” Rythian insisted.  
“You literally never went outside when we lived back home.” Lomadia pointed out.  
“Because people threw rocks at me!” Rythian exclaimed.  
“Fair point.” Lomadia shrugged. “Do you miss it? Home, I mean.”  
“It was never a home to me. I hated it.” Rythian said. “What about you?”  
“I miss my parents, but that’s all really. I still have my owls, and you lot, so no, I don’t miss the village who wanted me dead.” Lomadia said. Rythian nodded, but didn’t speak.  
“Alright, let’s get moving!” Nano shouted. Nilesy groaned loudly. Rythian jumped to his feet and held his hand out to Lomadia. She took it and pulled herself up. Lomadia glanced behind her and saw something large move behind the elm tree.  
“Did you see that?” Lomadia asked quietly, pointing to where she’d seen the figure.  
“See what?” Rythian asked, oblivious.  
“I don’t know, lets find out.” Lomadia creeping around the elm tree. “Hello? Anyone there?”  
“Okay, okay, don’t hurt me, please.” A teenaged boy stepped out, hands raised in surrender, with a look of terror on his face. He had short, light brown hair, and was wearing beige clothes. He looked perfectly ordinary, other than his left arm, which seemed to be made entirely out of metal.  
“Don’t worry, we won’t.” Lomadia promised. “I like your arm.”  
“What- oh, crap!” The boy smacked his metal arm against his leg, and it turned to flesh. “Sorry, just… ignore that, it’s fine. I’m Caff, by the way.” Caff tried a weak smile.  
“I’m Lomadia, this is Rythian.” Rythian gave a small wave. Caff waved back nervously. “He’s not as scary as he looks.”  
“Yes I am.” Rythian insisted, folding his arms. “I am the prince of darkness and fear.”  
“You’re about as scary as a teddy bear.” Lomadia said. Rythian gasped in mock offense. “So, Caff, what are you doing hiding behind a tree?”  
“I, uh, heard you talking, and, well, you said something about the Hunters? I thought you might be, um, nice?” Caff shrugged. “I’ll leave, if you want me to.”  
“No, you-” Lomadia began.  
“Oi, Lom, Ryth, we’re leaving!” Saberial shouted as she walked towards them. “What are you- hey, who the hell are you?” She asked when she noticed Caff.  
“This is Caff; he hasn’t killed us yet so he’s probably not going to.” Rythian said. “Caff, this is Saberial, or Saber.”  
“Alright, mate.” Saberial said. “Hey, Lom and Ryth have made a friend!” She shouted over her shoulder.  
“What kinda friend?” Zoeya asked, skipping over to the tree. Caff shied away as every member of the party walked towards him, except for Nilesy, who was still lying on the floor and claiming he couldn’t go on, and the Hats, who had decided they didn’t want to get up until they absolutely had to.  
“Is he a hunter? He looks like a hunter.” Lalna said.  
“If he was a hunter he would have tried to kill us.” Lomadia pointed out.  
“Maybe he’s a smart hunter.” Nano suggested.  
“They don’t exist.” Saberial joked.  
Tee signed something to Zoeya. “Rosie was a hunter.”  
“Technically, she wasn’t.” Rythian said.  
“Who’s Rosie?” Caff asked.  
“Don’t worry about it.” Lomadia said quickly. “Where abouts are you from, Caff?”  
“That way.” Caff pointed over his shoulder.  
“Does ‘that way’ have a town, or a village, or do you just live in the forest?” Nano asked.  
“I live in a treehouse with my friend Arian.” Caff said.  
“Uh, not to worry anyone, but there’s a group of people coming towards us.” Smith shouted, grabbing his Thaumcraft wand and standing protectively in front of Trott and Ross, who was barely able to walk.  
“Who the hell are they?” Lalna asked, using his telekinesis to pick up his sword.  
“You do realise you have hands, and you can use them to pick things up.” Nano said, trying to wipe some of the flux off her sword blade on her leggings.  
“Hands are boring.” Lalna ran forwards to where the hats were and tried his best to identify the four figures wandering in their direction. “They’re too far away, I can’t tell who they are.”  
Lomadia walked up behind him and squinted her eyes. “One of them is tall, one of them is very short, the other two are about average human height. I can’t get a lot more than that.”  
“So, Xephos and Honeydew?” Zoey suggested hopefully.  
“Possibly.” Nilesy said, clambering to his feet. “Oh crap, I think they’ve seen us.”  
“What do we do?” Zoey asked, panicked.  
“Defend ourselves.” Nano ordered. “Everyone stand in a defence line in front of Ross, except Saber. You need to stay back.”  
“Why?” Saberial asked. “What if I don’t want to stay back?”  
“Because you’re our healer, and I don’t want you getting hurt.” Nano said.  
“Here’s a suggestion. Stop telling me what to do.” Saberial said. “Nilesy, could you stay with Ross for me?”  
“Sure.” Nilesy shrugged, sitting down next to Ross, glad he didn’t have to do anything to get him more out-of-breath.  
“Oh for god’s sake.” Nano sighed. “Why does no one listen to me anymore?”  
“Remind me, who put you in charge?” Nilesy asked.  
“I was deputy back at Camp!” Nano reminded him.  
“Camp is long gone now; we need to move on from it.” Rythian said. “Just calm down.”  
“Calm down? CALM DOWN!” Nano yelled. “How to you expect me to be calm when we could be about to _die_?!”  
“Nano, we can hear you yelling from a mile away!” Someone shouted from behind them. Everyone whipped around, weapons at the ready, prepared for an attack. 


	2. Survivors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, what exactly did Ross do while in his Wolf form?  
> As our other survivors are about to find out, nothing good...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short! The next one is longer!

“Holy fuck.” Strippin whispered as he, Benji, Honeydew and Xephos stared down into the valley. Corpses, mangled and bloodied, were littered across the grass, which, once emerald green, was now crimson red with dried blood. There was no telling how many bodies there were, how many people had died. It was horrific, but none of the four were able to throw up. They hadn’t eaten anything substantial in days.  
“Well, I guess we found whoever was left.” Xephos said.  
“No, no, don’t be so pessimistic, this can’t be them.” Honeydew insisted. He jumped down into the valley, Benji close behind him. Benji wandered over to the far end and picked up a bent sword. He examined it before throwing it down again.  
“What are you doing?” Strippin asked.  
“There must be something here that can help us find them.” Honeydew said, kicking his way through the remains of what appeared to be a human.  
“Sweet loot.” Benji said. “Blood-covered loot, but loot all the same.”  
Xephos sighed. He admired Honeydew’s optimism, but didn’t share it. All they’d found of any one from the rendezvous point was a few shredded tents and three dead hunters. Strippin jumped down into valley and picked something up. A knife, lying next to something that may have been blonde in life.  
“How long until the dead’s possessions are fair game?” Strippin asked.  
“Too soon, Strippin, too soon.” Benji said, picking up another broken sword, examining it, and tossing it away.  
As Strippin turned the knife over in his hands, a bell rang in the back of Xephos’ mind. “Give me that for a second.” He demanded, snatching the knife from Strippin’s hand. He glanced over it quickly. Engraved in the handle was a message.  
Happy Birthday Lom, Love Dad  
“Lomadia’s been this way.” Xephos said. “We need to find her.”  
“I’m… pretty sure she stayed up here, Xeph.” Strippin said, indicating to the blonde mess he’d taken the knife from. “I think Ross did this.”  
“There was a Full Moon last night.” Benji agreed. “But if Ross isn’t here, someone must have survived and helped him out. And if they’re not alive, he can’t be far.”  
“Well, there’s only one way to find out. Follow me!” Simon shouted as he climbed up the valley and began making his way down the mountain. Xephos crossed the valley and followed him.  
“We literally just got up here.” Strippin said.  
“They didn’t even give us time to find some epic loot.” Benji said, disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be posted three hours ago, but then It wasn't because I am forgetful.  
> Thank you for reading!  
> :)


	3. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends are reunited, and a half-plan is 'formed'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, this was meant to come out on Monday.  
> But it didn't, because I am forgetful and busy.  
> Also AO3 was being broken :(  
> Apologies!

There was no attack. Running towards them was Xephos, Honeydew, Strippin and Benji, out of breath and starving, but ecstatic to see their friends again.  
Zoeya gasped. “I told you! I told you it was them!” She squealed before she and Saberial jogged to greet them. Athena, who had been watching everything unfold from the elm tree, flew above their heads, just in case something happened.  
“Zoey, Saber!” Honeydew laughed. “We thought _you_ were dead!”  
“We thought you were dead!” Saberial cried as she hugged Xephos and Honeydew.  
“Fuck, Zoey, what happened to you arm?” Strippin asked as he noticed part of Zoeya’s right arm was missing.  
Zoeya brushed him off. “Long story, don’t worry about it. Are you all okay? Is there anyone else with you?”  
“It’s… just us.” Benji said sadly. He peeked over Saberial’s shoulder and did a quick head count. “Rythian, only two of the Hats, Lalna, Nano, Tee, I don’t recognise him… Smith and Trott aren’t crying so I assume Ross is there somewhere. That’s a lot of people. We assumed you were all dead.”  
“Lomadia?” Xephos asked, noticing Athena gliding around above them. “I found her knife up on the mountain, I thought- we thought- she might be with you.”  
“Oh, yeah, she’s over there.” Saberial said. “Ross isn’t doing too great though…”  
“Come on, you need to see everyone again!” Zoeya said, changing the subject quickly before skipping off back towards the main party. Saberial rolled her eyes and followed, with Xephos, Honeydew, Strippin and Benji close behind her. Ten minutes, a quick recap of everything that had happened since the Camp had been attacked, and a hell of a lot of hugging later, Rythian introduced Xephos, Honeydew, Strippin and Benji to Caff.  
“This is Caff.” Rythian said. “Caff, this is Xephos and Honeydew, the leaders of our old camp, and Strippin and Benji, they’re metal benders.”   
“You found a random guy hiding behind a tree and decided to let him stay? Well that’s a fool-proof plan.” Benji joked. “Nothing could ever go wrong with that.”  
“I can turn my arm into metal.” Caff said, hoping to gain their trust. He changed his arm from metal to flesh a few times. Xephos was distracted by Lomadia, who was happy to get her knife back, but Honeydew stared in awe at Caff’s power, and Strippin and Benji glanced at each other, grinning. Rythian seemed to catch on to what they were thinking.  
“Don’t you _dare_.” Rythian hissed.   
“Don’t what?” Benji asked, the grin still on his face.  
“We wouldn’t do anything, would we Benj?” Strippin asked, nudging Benji with his elbow.  
“Either of you two touch him I will personally drown you in the nearest lake.” Nilesy warned.  
“I’d like to see you try.” Benji challenged.  
“Have you tried healing him, Saber?” Xephos asked, referring to Ross.  
“Yes, but nothing seems to be working.” Saberial said. “I don’t have enough energy to heal him anymore anyway, and I don’t want to take anyone else’s right now. It’s too dangerous.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”  
“Do you guys need a healer?” Caff asked. “I know a healer not far from here, I could take you to her.”  
“Like we’d trust _you_.” Trott said bitterly.  
“A random guy Rythian and Lomadia found in the forest.” Smith added.  
“We know literally nothing about you.” Ross pointed out weakly.  
“Well, there’s, what, fifteen of you, and one of me. If I’m lying, you could quite easily kill me. I mean, you have a dinosaur, for god’s sake.” Caff said. Tee growled quietly.  
“We don’t have much choice.” Honeydew agreed.   
“So we’re just going to trust this guy?” Nano asked. “Are you all _insane_?”  
“Probably.” Saberial shrugged.  
“You don’t have to come.” Nilesy said.   
“Yeah, you could just stay here.” Strippin pointed out.  
“Alone.” Benji added.  
“Because we’re all going.” Zoeya said. “Lead the way, Caff!”  
Athena landed on Lomadia’s shoulder. “I think the boy is safe, my Lady. He does not seem to have any negative intentions.”  
“Are you sure?” Lomadia asked quietly.  
“I can not be 100% certain, but I will happily tear his eyes out if he tries to hurt any of your companions.” Athena assured her.  
“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, sorry!  
> Thank you for reading :)


	4. Arian and Aur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can a strange being in the forest save Ross' life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who remembered to upload on time this week!  
> Have a longer one, as the last couple have been very short!

The party stood in front of an ornate stone doorway, embedded into an old willow tree. The stone seemed to glow, but there was no visible light source. There were symbols carved into the sides, which even Lalna had no hope of understanding. The doorway didn’t appear to lead anywhere. They’d been walking for about two hours, following Caff to where he said his healer friend was living.   
A grey squirrel ran down the side of the tree, along the ground and up Caff’s leg. Caff let the squirrel run onto his hand and brought them up to his face.  
“Hey there.” Caff smiled. “We need to get through the portal, could you open it for me?” The squirrel climbed up Caff’s arm and sat on his shoulder, studying the group of strangers behind him. Zoeya gasped.  
“Oh my gosh!” She gently held out her hand to the squirrel, who sniffed it, decided Zoeya was safe, and jumped onto her hand. Zoeya squealed happily, and let the squirrel run over her hands. Lomadia noticed Athena licking her lips from her perch in the trees.  
“Leave the squirrel alone.” Lomadia told her sternly. Athena hooted in disappointment and flew off.  
“Their name’s Arian. They’re the protector of my friends portal.” Caff informed them.   
“Why would you make a tiny squirrel the protector of your portal.” Nilesy asked. “She’s not exactly a fearsome hunter.”   
“ _They_.” Caff corrected. “Don’t misgender the squirrel.”  
Arian jumped from Zoeya’s hands to the tree next to Nilesy and hissed angrily, their eyes glowing red. Zoeya and Caff laughed as Nilesy yelped in fear and backed into Tee. Arian’s eyes stopped glowing, and they jumped onto Trott’s shoulder. Trott tensed a little as Arian landed, but relaxed when they scrambled down his arm and jumped back onto the tree. They climbed towards the portal and nudged one of the symbols at the top of the stone doorway. The doorway became a purple shimmering portal, which appeared to reflect the forest they were in, but it was slightly different. In the real world, it was late afternoon, and the leaves on the trees were various shades of green. In the reflections, it appeared to be early morning, and the leaves on the trees were shades of blue and purple.  
“Well, that’s a little ominous.” Nano said, summarising everyone’s thoughts.  
“So, who’s going through the portal that may or may not kill us all first?” Smith asked. He’d practically carried Ross through the forest, and was now sitting against a tree next to him. “Because it certainly isn’t me and Ross.”  
Arian climbed through the portal, then crawled back, trying to prove the portal wasn’t safe.  
“The squirrel is the protector of the portal; they could be protected from it.” Honeydew suggested.   
“The portal won’t kill you.” Caff promised.  
“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” Nano said bitterly. She was still upset that she’d been dragged all the way out into the forest because of a stranger. No matter what Lalna or Zoeya said to her, she wouldn’t cheer up.  
“So, who do we care about least?” Rythian asked.  
“ _Rythian_!” Zoeya hissed.  
“What? It’s a perfectly valid question!” Rythian insisted.  
“He’s right. Whoever we care about least should go through the portal first, in case it does kill them.” Trott said.  
“But we care about everyone equally, _obviously_.” Nilesy insisted. They continued to argue about who should go through the portal first. While they were talking, Strippin wandered up to the portal. He peered through it, but all could see was trees and a large white rabbit hopping past. Strippin glanced back, realised no one had noticed him standing so close to the portal, and stepped through.  
Strippin found himself in a forest, similar to the one he’d just been in, but the leaves on the trees were blue and purple, the grass was as black as the night sky, with small clusters of silver and gold flowers, and it was deathly quiet. Strippin could hear muffled shouting from behind him. He glanced back and realised Benji was yelling at him, although he couldn’t quite hear what he was saying. Strippin stepped back into the Overworld.  
“-the hell do you think you’re doing?” Benji yelled.  
“You could have died!” Nano exclaimed.  
“But I didn’t.” Strippin pointed out. “The portals fine, calm the fuck down.” And he stepped back through the portal. Caff followed him. Eventually, everyone had cautiously stepped through the portal and into the blue and purple forest. The rabbit had scampered off when Strippin had come through the portal.  
“So, where are we, exactly?” Smith asked.  
“My friend owns a forest. Or is a forest. I’m not sure how it works. I should probably ask.” Caff shrugged. “Anyway, Arian, lead the way.”   
Arian sniffed around a little before scurrying off in a seemingly random direction. Caff followed unquestionably. The rest of the party hesitated for a moment.  
“Are we going to follow a squirrel through a dark forest?” Zoeya asked.  
“Yes, we are.” Smith confirmed before setting off after Caff, dragging Ross along with him. Ross was almost unconscious at this point, barely able to hold himself up, let alone walk unassisted.  
They had been travelling for less than half an hour when Arian stopped and climbed up a tree. Caff stopped and peered through the trees. He crept forward towards a clearing.  
"Hey, Lady Aur, Lady Aur!" Caff shouted to a figure who seemed to have appeared in the clearing.  
The figure turned and smiled as Caff approached. She was tall, with long blonde hair tied in a simple plait over her shoulder, and deep blue eyes filled with both sorrow and hope at the sight of her young friend. She seemed timeless, as old as the trees, but as young as the spring flowers. She appeared human, but had pointed ears and claws at the end of her fingers. Her skin seemed translucent when the sunlight hit her in certain ways, making her look eerily like a ghost. She was wearing a beautiful yet simple floor-length blue and purple dress, which seemed to shimmer with small silver stars as she moved. They all knew from the stories they had heard as young children, that this creature was the spirit of the forest.   
"Caff, my child, it had been a long time." The spirit smiled as she noticed the party behind him. "And I see you have brought friends with you! How delightful!"  
"Please, lady Aur, we need your help." Caff told her. "Their friend is injured, and we can't help him."  
Smith brought Ross forward carefully, and Aur frowned. "Put him down here, I'll see what I can do." Aur patted a stone table, which no one had noticed previously, and Smith helped Ross sit down. "Well, your friend certainly doesn't look in good health. What did you say his name was?"   
"Ross.” Trott said.  
“Can you help him?" Smith asked impatiently.  
"Yes, but I need you to collect something for me first." Aur said. “Would that pose a problem?”  
"We'll do anything." Nilesy assured her.  
“I’m having some trouble with a monster an hour or so north of here. If you can defeat it, and bring me its head, I will be able to heal your friend.” Aur said.   
“Alright, someone needs to stay with Ross.” Saberial said. “No offence, um,” She considered the pronunciation for a second. “Lady _Eye-er,_ but none of us really trust you.”  
“I understand.” Aur smiled. “The only reason I did not have Arian incinerate you on site is because you are with Caff.”  
“Right, good, glad we’re on the same page.” Lalna nodded.  
"I completely butchered that pronunciation." Saberial mumbled.   
"None of us would do any better." Zoeya patted her arm gently.  
Lomadia volunteered to stay behind with Ross. Everyone else decided to rest for an hour before they left for the part of the forest the monster was terrorising.   
“What monster are we going to be fighting?” Lalna asked as he sharpened his sword.  
“It is a creature called a Naga.” Aur said. “Have you heard of it?”  
“I have.” Benji said, walking over to them and leaning against a tree. “My dad used to tell me about them when I was little to try and scare me away from the woods. It worked.”  
“Yes, humans usually use creatures of darkness to scare their young.” Aur said. “Do you remember the stories your father used to tell you?”  
“Uh, Naga’s are big, green, snake-like, scaly things which are made up of lots of different segments. And they eat children.” Benji added.  
“Almost correct, Mr. Benjamin. Naga’s don’t eat children, they much prefer adults and large mammals.” Aur smirked.  
“Okay, sounds fun. Uh, how do we defeat it?” Trott asked.  
“If I knew that, me and Caff would have defeated it years ago.” Aur said. “There may be chinks in its armour, it may be weaker than we thought, it may kill you all on the spot. I have no idea.”  
“That’s… not very encouraging.” Rythian said.   
“I’m sure everything will be fine.” Zoeya said optimistically.   
“Alright people, let’s get moving!” Nano shouted. Nilesy groaned quietly from where he was lying on the floor.   
“You’re sure you’ll be alright?” Trott asked.  
“I’ll be fine, stop _mothering_ me.” Ross insisted.  
“Yeah, as long as you have the mad squirrel and the weird fairy lady, I think you’ll be fine.” Smith said.  
“ _Actually_ , she’s a _forest spirit_.” Trott joked.  
“Trott, Smith, you coming or not?” Saberial called.  
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Trott called back. He turned back to Ross. “We’ll see you later.”  
“See you later, Rossy.” Smith said, pulling Ross into a hug.   
“For god’s sakes, guys, let’s go!” Xephos shouted.  
“Alright, calm your tits.” Smith sighed. He pulled away from Ross and they walked over to the others.  
“Are we ready?” Rythian asked. Tee roared as everyone nodded. “Then let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	5. The Lake and The Watch Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lovely walk through the woods. And a baby fox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fun to write! I hope you all enjoy it!

Caff led the way through the dense forest, as he was the only who knew where the Naga was. Zoeya had befriended a baby fox, who was happily padding along next to her, occasionally running off to chase a rabbit. Tee wasn’t a fan of the fox, and kept eyeing it suspiciously, his bow ready in his paw. Rythian would occasionally get bored and start teleporting around, jumping out at people. He stopped after Nilesy almost drenched him. The anxiety he felt as the water flew past him was too much, so he walked quietly behind Zoeya for the rest of the way. Xephos, Honeydew and Lalna were arguing about whether it was a good idea to keep Caff with them, well out of earshot of everyone else. Trott and Smith were walking just behind Nano and Caff, trying to be as irritating as possible. Strippin and Benji had found two swords with their blades buried into a tree. They’d tried to pull them out, claiming only the strongest and bravest of knights could free them, but after many failed attempts had given up. Saberial had walked up to the tree and pulled both swords out in one pull. Strippin and Benji announced Saberial to be the strongest and bravest knight.   
“Are we there yet?” Trott whined, purely to annoy Nano.  
“We’re about half an hour away.” Caff guessed. “I’ll know for sure when I find the lake.”  
“There’s a lake?” Nilesy asked excitedly. It had been so long, too long, since he’d been swimming, if you considered four days ‘too long’.  
“Yeah, it’s not far from where the Naga is.” Caff said. Nilesy grinned like a small child.  
“Maybe you could use your powers to drown the Naga in the lake.” Saberial suggested.  
“Aur tried that. The Naga did not like it, tried to eat me.” Caff told them.   
“Have you tried setting it on fire?” Rythian asked. “Because I can set things on fire. I’m good at setting things on fire.”  
“Do not set anything on fire.” Nano warned. Rythian smiled, clicked his fingers, and set a nearby tree on fire.  
“It’s immune to fire.” Caff said calmly as the tree burned. Smith held his hands out to warm them a little.   
“The tree or the Naga?” Benji asked as Nilesy put the fire out in a panic.  
“Both. But that won’t stop Arian from incinerating you.” Caff added.   
“But Rythian’s fire is, like, magical fire.” Zoeya said. “That’s better, right?”  
“We can try using magical fire.” Caff shrugged.  
“Question.” Strippin said. “Is any part of the Naga made out of metal?”  
“I have no idea.” Caff admitted. “All I know is it really doesn’t like me.”  
“We can try anyway.” Benji shrugged. “Although Caff will have to stand very far away from us if we try. I don’t fancy being drowned.” He glanced at Nilesy, who folded his arms and tried not to hyperventilate.  
They continued walking across the leaf-covered ground, while more blue and purple leaves fell from the trees. Zoeya found a heart-shaped leaf and gave it to Saberial. Saberial laughed and kissed her on the cheek. They all tried to figure out a plan of action based off of what both Benji and Caff told them about the Naga.  
“Look, there’s the lake!” Caff said, pointed past where the trees ended, and stretched into plains. A small body of water was just visible on the horizon. Before anyone could react, Nilesy was sprinting off towards the lake. Once he reached the bank, he dived in and swam straight to the bottom.  
“I though Nilesy hated running.” Honeydew said.  
“He does, but he really, really likes lakes.” Lalna replied. Rythian and Lalna jogged to the lake with the rest of the party trailing behind them. Nilesy shot up into the air from the lake laughing, before diving back into the depths of the lake.   
“Nilesy, for god’s sake!” Rythian yelled, staying a few metres away from the water.  
“Leave him be. When was the last time he was in a lake?” Lalna asked, not wanting to ruin Nilesy’s happiness.   
Nano and Trott caught up with them first. Nano smiled, kicked off her shoes and socks and rolled up her leggings. She sat down next to the lake and dipped her feet in, not really caring if she was splashed by Nilesy. Trott, being a marine mammal, dived into the water along with Nilesy. Smith waded in after him. Lalna joined Nano sitting at the edge of the lake. Lalna left his lab coat in a heap next to Rythian. If Lomadia had been there, she would have folded the lab coat, and scolded Lalna for not taking care of his possessions, but Rythian couldn’t be bothered. Saberial, Zoeya, Tee, Strippin and Benji got to the lake next. Tee crouched at the edge of the lake, watching the fish swimming in the deeper parts of the water intently. Saberial and Zoeya waded knee-deep into the lake and splashed at each other, laughing and screaming playfully. Strippin and Benji jumped straight in, challenging each other to swim deeper into the lake. Nilesy kept an eye on them the entire time, just in case one of them got into trouble. Caff sat at the opposite side of the lake to Nano, chatting idly to Tee, even though he didn’t reply with any other than nods and hand gestures, but it suited Caff just fine. Xephos and Honeydew removed their shoes and socks and splashed their feet in the water. Rythian sat down next to Lalna’s lab coat, watching everyone enjoying themselves in the water. They all stayed there for a while, trying to forget the troubles of the last few days, enjoying the sun and the water and the fact that they were all together. Rythian was deep in thought, wondering how anyone could ever enjoy water, when Saberial walked up and sat down next to him.  
“Are you coming in?” She asked, her wet hair dripping down her back and soaking her t-shirt.  
“No.” Rythian shuffled away slightly so he wouldn’t get any water on him.  
“Why not?”  
“I don’t like water.” Rythian replied simply.  
“Judging by the fact you’re sitting close enough to the water to watch everyone, but not close enough to get splashed, I’d say it’s more of a fear than a dislike.” Saberial said.  
“I’m not scared of anything.” Rythian lied.  
“Yes you are.” Saberial said. “Everyone is scared of something.”  
“What are you scared of then?”  
“I’m not telling you my weakness, you might try and defeat me when I rise to power and take over the world.” Saberial smiled.  
“I don’t think you can defeat the strongest and bravest knight.” Rythian smiled back.  
“True.” Saberial agreed.  
“We should probably get going.” Xephos called, climbing onto the bank of the lake.  
“But we’re having _fun_!” Zoeya whined, kicking water at him.  
“He’s right, we need to get to the Naga before nightfall.” Nano said.  
“Night doesn’t fall in the magic forest of magic-ness.” Caff shouted from the other side of the lake. Nano glared at him.  
“Well, we should get going anyway. We need to get back to Ross.” Smith said, wading out of the lake. Nilesy shot up and landed on the bank in a tide of water. Rythian stood up quickly to get away from it, dragging Lalna’s lab coat with him. Nano managed to dry her feet with her sleeves, Lalna used his lab coat to dry his hair off. Strippin and Benji crawled out and started complaining about their wet clothes. Rythian offered to set them on fire. They declined.  
Half an hour later, the party reached the edge of the forest, and it stretched into grassy plains. In the distance, they could see a set of stone walls, covered in ivy and cracked in places. Caff led them to a small, abandoned watch tower. Only a few people could climb it at one time, due to how small and rickety it was.  
Within the stone walls was a large, dark green mass. It appeared to have scales, and a pair of glowing red eyes lay hidden under them.   
“I thought Benji said it was a snake-y thing.” Zoeya said to Tee, who had come up to the top of the watchtower with her. Tee shrugged, and notched an arrow in his bow. “Tee, don’t you dare.” Zoeya warned. He pulled the string of his bow back. “Tee, no!” She shouted. She reached for the bow, but Tee was too quick. He let the arrow fly, directly into the green mass.  
A deafening roar, like standing under a waterfall made of stones, echoed across the plains, knocking everyone over and making the watchtower creak. The Naga unravelled itself, writhing and hissing as it hit against the stone walls, unable to break free. Zoeya pulled herself up and climbed down the watchtower to where the rest of the party was. She ran to Saberial and helped her up, making sure she was okay.  
“What the ever-loving **FUCK** was that?” Honeydew yelled. Everyone started pulling themselves and each other up, except for Nilesy, who had been on the floor anyway and intended to stay there.   
“Someone woke up our scaly friend.” Caff said, as another, even more fearsome roar filled the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter next week, because I have three mock exams next Monday, and then three on the Tuesday.   
> Apologies!


	6. Monster Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Naga has become much more of an issue that first thought, and the infighting is not helping...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'll only be gone a week" She said last month.  
> I'm sorry.  
> Also it's not Monday but I don't care.

“We, are so fucked.” Strippin said, as the Naga writhed and roared in its stone prison.  
“It can’t get through the wall, though.” Nilesy pointed out. “In theory, we’re safe.”  
“That wall is made of stone, not magic!” Saberial exclaimed. “Strippin’s right, we’re totally screwed.”  
“Magic stone.” Caff mumbled. Saberial glared at him. “Wall’s reinforced, Naga can’t get out.”  
“That’s alright then.” Lalna said. “Makes things much easier, right?”  
“Just don’t break the wall.” Nano glanced at Smith and Trott. “No explosions.”  
“What?” Trott exclaimed. “That was our entire game plan!”  
“Think of a new one.” Xephos shrugged. Honeydew looked a little disappointed. He’d liked the idea of blowing the Naga sky-high.  
“If that bloody dinosaur hadn’t shot it, we wouldn’t have this problem.” Smith said angrily. “We could have snuck in, placed the explosives and gotten out of there in minutes!” Tee growled. Zoeya quickly took all the arrows out of his quiver so he couldn’t shoot anyone. Fortunately, Tee didn’t notice. Nilesy quickly stood between them, hoping Tee liked him enough not to trample him in order to murder Smith.  
“Ladies, chill out.” Rythian said. “Strippin, Benji, do you want to try tearing the Naga in half first?”   
“Hell yeah!” Benji shouted. He grabbed Strippin’s arm and dragged him off towards the Naga’s stone cage.  
“Guess we’ll leave them to do that.” Nano said. “What do we do if the Naga isn’t made of metal, or it doesn’t work, or whatever.”  
Smith pulled out a bundle of explosives and smiled.   
“No.” Nano and Rythian said in unison.  
“Fuck you.”  
“I have an idea!” Honeydew shouted, pulling out two pickaxes.  
“Digging a massive hole is not an option.” Xephos said.  
“I don’t have any ideas.” Honeydew sighed.  
“Any ideas involving a baby fox?” Zoeya asked, picking up her little fox friend. Trott scratched the fox behind the ears gently. The fox purred softly and licked Trott’s arm.  
“Use it as bait?” Rythian suggested jokingly. Zoeya looked horrified and clutched the fox to her chest. Nano smacked him across the back of the head, which was difficult considering she was over a foot shorter than him.   
Saberial put the tip of her sword against his throat. “Touch the fox and I will kill you dead.”  
After Lalna, Nilesy and Caff had managed to calm everyone down and stop half the group from killing each other, Strippin and Benji returned.  
“Okay, do you want the good news or the bad news?” Benji asked.  
“Good news first.” Xephos said before anyone else could react.  
“The Naga is made of metal and we managed to rip it in half.” Strippin said.  
“And the bad news?” Caff asked.   
“You know when you cut a worm in half and it becomes two worms?” Benji asked. The Naga roared, much quieter than before, but was then joined by another vicious growl. “Yeah. There’s two now.”  
“Goddamnit.” Nilesy sighed. “Right, screw it, I’m going to drown it.” He marched off towards the stone walls, with Nano following quickly behind him.  
“You can’t drown it, not on your own.” She said, almost jogging to keep up with him.  
“Are you going to stop me, Nano?” Nilesy asked.  
“No, but I could probably trap the Naga in some fluxy tentacles.” Nano said. She clicked her fingers, and the flux curled into a writhing ball, which floated in her hands. “That would make it easier to drown it.”  
Nilesy smiled, although he was a little scared of the flux. “Thanks.”  
Rythian teleported next to them and started walking alongside them. “So because I can teleport I think I should be bait. Also, it might stop Saber from stabbing me.”  
“Sounds like a plan.” Nano agreed.  
Lalna ran up behind them. “Strippin said there’s a small lake near where the… Snake thing is which will help Nilesy and I might be able to lift it up so we can find it’s weak spots without getting to near it.” He said all of this very quickly and without pausing for breath.   
“Right.” Nilesy said once he’d caught up with what he was saying. “Is anyone else joining us?”   
“Strippin and Benji are staying back because they don’t think they’ll be any use.” Lalna said.   
“WAIT, WE HAVE EXPLOSIVES!” Smith yelled as he caught up to them, with Trott just behind him.  
“Oh no.” Nano muttered.  
“We agreed, no explosions.” Nilesy reminded them.  
“Yeah, but because Trottimouse is a smart bugger, he’s worked out how to make it so the explosives will go off automatically without us getting anywhere near the massive, fuck-off snake.”  
“Water, explosives, flux tentacles, telekinesis, what else have we got?” Nilesy asked.  
“I’m going to punch that bastard Naga in the face and rip its damn head off.” Saberial said, startling everyone as no one noticed her and Tee coming up behind them, which was surprising seeing as Tee was a seven-foot tall dinosaur and Saberial was stamping through the grass in anger. Zoeya had given Tee his arrows back, but she had opted to stay behind, insisting she’d be useless with only one arm. Lalna noticed Xephos and Honeydew hadn’t joined them either.  
“Pure rage and a bow-wielding dinosaur. Excellent.” Nilesy smiled.  
“Where’s Caff?” Lalna asked.  
“Here!” Caff landed in front of them, having literally just fell from the sky.  
“Since when could you fucking fly?” Trott asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”  
“No one asked?” Caff shrugged.  
“Dear Lord, Caff.” Nano sighed. “Right, whatever, aerial surveillance, cool. More useful than the bloody owls, at least.”  
“Don’t let Lomadia hear you saying that.” Rythian said as they reached the stone walls. Nilesy and Nano climbed up the wall and were nearly blown off again when one of the Naga's reared its head and roared at them. They grabbed on to each other desperately as the deafening scream drowned out all other noise.  
The Naga’s were almost identical, same size, same eyes, same multiple rows of sharp teeth. The only real difference was one of the Naga's was a slightly lighter shade of green.  
“You drown that one,” Nano pointed to the lighter Naga. “I’ll flux him up.” She pointed to the darker Naga, the flux writhing violently, as though it knew it would be allowed to escape soon.  
“What can I do?” Caff asked, landing next to Nilesy.  
“Stand there and look pretty, we’ve got this.” Nilesy patted his shoulder.  
“Pretty? I’m not sure he can manage that.” Nano grinned.  
“How DARE you!” Caff exclaimed. “I’m the prettiest lady here!”  
“Of course you are.” Nano laughed. “On the count of three- “  
“THREE!” Nilesy yelled, dragging the water from a small pond within the walls and forming it into a bubble around the Naga's head.   
Nano sighed and released a tide of flux onto the second Naga. Both Naga's writhed and roared angrily. They couldn’t escape, but they weren’t dying either. Nilesy laughed, and Nano couldn’t help but laugh along. Lalna, Rythian, Tee and Saberial clambered up onto the wall. Lalna used his telekinesis to crush Nano’s Naga with various large rocks as Tee shot at it with his bow and arrow. Caff turned his arm to metal and started punching the Naga Nilesy was holding down. Rythian blasted Nilesy’s Naga repeatedly, though he was annoyed his fire would be useless while Nilesy was still using his water. Saberial noticed that the metal on Caff’s body had progressed further onto his chest, but decided not to mention it until Ross was better. Trott and Smith hurled explosives randomly (although they claimed to have a plan), ‘accidentally’ almost killing Rythian on several occasions.  
One explosion caused the chain of Rythian’s amulet to snap as he jumped out of the way. It flew towards the smaller Naga, and straight into its mouth.  
“NO!” Rythian screamed, but no one could hear him over the explosions and the Naga’s roars. He’d lost the only thing he’d had left of his real mother, the one who’d abandoned him as a new born. It had been the only thing she’d left behind when she had walked out, so it had been given to him. He recited every curse word he could think of, and blasted the Naga twice as hard.  
Before long, both Naga's were dead. They crumbled to dust, leaving behind no head for them to collect. There was no sign of Rythian’s amulet either. Rythian decided against mentioning losing it. Ross, he thought, was more important.  
“FUCK!” Smith screamed. “What the fuck are we going to do? That fucking fairy bitch said she needed a head, and we haven’t fucking got one!”  
“She’s not a fairy.” Caff muttered.  
“Look, we’ll figure something out.” Rythian said calmly.   
“Fuck figuring something out, Ross is going to die if we don’t do something right now!” Trott exclaimed, almost in tears.  
“No, I won’t allow him to die.” Nano said sternly. “Caff, you saw those Naga's die, didn’t you?”  
“Yes?” Caff said, confused.   
“And Aur will believe anything you say?” Nilesy asked, catching her train of thought.  
“Probably.” Caff shrugged. “Why are you asking me that?”  
“If you tell her you saw them die, she’ll know we killed the Naga's even if we don’t have physical proof.” Saberial said.   
“There are so many flaws in this plan, it’s not even funny.” Rythian said.  
“I agree. You’re hanging- R- Ross’ life on too many maybes.” Lalna added.  
“Sweetheart, do you have a better plan?” Nano asked.  
“Well, no-” Lalna began.  
“Then shut your face.” Nano said. “Caff, lead the way!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be Monday.  
> Which Monday?  
> Good question.  
> I'll get back to you on that one.


	7. Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, everything is not as it seems...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter is here! Not on a Monday, but shush.  
> I hope you all enjoy it! :)

After explaining the plan to Zoeya, Strippin, Benji, Xephos and Honeydew, everyone headed back to the clearing where Lomadia, Ross and Aur were. It took them less time to get back than it did to walk to the Naga's, because they all knew vaguely where they were going. Despite Nilesy’s begging, they didn’t go back into the lake. The baby fox wandered off as they neared the clearing, much to Zoeya’s dismay.  
When they arrived at the clearing, Smith and Trott hurried over to Ross, who was unconscious and breathing short, shallow breaths. Lalna hugged Lomadia quickly as she fussed over him and his dirty lab coat. Arian climbed up Caff’s leg and back, before sitting on his shoulder and nuzzling his face. They hissed at Xephos quietly.  
“Okay, slight problem, the Naga turned to dust after we killed it.” Caff admitted. Aur smiled and nodded.  
“I thought it might.” She said. “But I believe you, and the head is not necessary to heal Ross.”  
“Thank fuck for that.” Smith sighed.   
"Stand back and cover your eyes if you do not wish to be blinded." Aur said.  
Everyone stepped back and looked away as Aur cast a healing spell over Ross. A bright light glowed for a few seconds before subsiding, leaving everyone feeling better about themselves. Ross inhaled deeply, but didn't wake up.  
"Is he alright?" Nilesy asked, suddenly finding it easier to breathe.  
"He will wake up in an hour or so." Aur smiled.  
"Thank god." Trott sighed with relief. Everyone let out a collective sigh of release, which they had barely realised they'd been holding.  
"While we wait for your friend to awaken, I have some gifts for you all." Aur told them.  
"Gifts? What sort of gifts?" Xephos asked warily.  
"I don't know yet; I will tell you when I give them to you." Aur said.  
"That's... ominous." Nano whispered. Everyone else stayed silent.   
"First, for you, Miss Saberial." Aur waved her hand and a purple bracelet appeared. She handed it to Saberial. "Wear it and it will enhance your healing powers."  
Saberial stared at the bracelet in awe. "Th-thank you." Was all she managed to say.   
She looked at Smith for a moment, her head tilted like a curious dog. "I am not sure what I can do for you."  
"You're the all-powerful being, I'm sure you'll think of something." Smith replied coldly. Zoeya smacked him on the arm. "Be nice to her." She hissed.  
"Your curse, how long have you been living with it?" Aur asked.  
Smith shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. I can't remember not having it."  
Aur waved her hand and Smith's appearance changed. His skin turned to a lighter shade of green, his eyes turned brown and some auburn hair grew on his head. Everyone stared at him in surprise.  
“What?" Smith asked, unaware of the change.  
Nilesy pulled a mirror out of his backpack and handed it to Smith. "Look for yourself."  
"Nilesy, why do you have a mirror?" Benji asked.  
"Narcissism." Nilesy replied with a shrug.  
Smith looked into the mirror and gasped. "Bloody hell, I'm nearly me again!" He said excitedly.  
Aur smiled and turned to Trott. "I have nothing to give to you."  
"Well that's not _fair_." Trott said grumpily.  
"I can't give you anything because you already have what you want the most." Aur said, indicating to Ross, who was still unconscious but breathing much easier, and Smith, who was messing around with his hair. "All you want is for them to be happy, and I have given you that."  
"Thank you, weird… fairy lady." Trott smiled. Aur nodded.  
“Miss Zoeya. I believe you need a new hand." Aur said.   
Zoeya smiled. "I suppose there's no ' _arm_ in getting a new one." Nilesy snorted, and Nano giggled. Zoeya nudged Saberial. “Get it babe? Babe, I said there’s no ‘ _arm_ in it. Babe, I’m really funny. Are you listening, babe?” Saberial rolled her eyes. Aur waved her hand and gave Zoey a clockwork arm.  
To Rythian she gave his lost amulet. He almost cried when he finally had it back around his neck, but managed to keep himself together.  
“You never said you lost it!” Saberial exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell us?”  
“No one asked.” He shrugged.  
“Oh for gods- This is why I can’t leave you alone.” Lomadia sighed. “You get into all sorts of mess.”  
To Honeydew, Aur gave a new pick axe, to Tee, a better bow, to Strippin and Benji, a new rail spike each, and to Lalna, a picture of his sister, Rosie Jones. Aur did her best to clear Nano of her flux, but only got some of it off of her face and arms. Nano was happy anyway.   
"Xephos, I am afraid I can't grant your wish. I can see very little out side of this realm, but I believe most of those you seek are dead." Aur said, casting a shadow over the otherwise positive group. “There may be one or two left, but I doubt you would be able to find them.”   
Xephos said nothing.  
"What about me? What do I get?" Caff asked.  
"I believe you have what you've always wanted." Aur informed him. "Whether you realise it or not is another matter."  
"Oh great, she's being cryptic again." Caff sighed. "Why do weird fairy twilight creatures always speak in bloody riddles?"  
"I don't know; this is the first one I've met." Rythian shrugged.  
“This is discrimination!” Caff exclaimed. Arian leaped off his shoulder and curled around Zoeya’s neck, terrified by his outburst. Zoeya stroked Arian’s head gently, while playing around with her new arm.  
"Caff, if you don't stop your whining, I will set Tee on you." Saberial said. Tee gnashed his teeth jokingly.   
"And finally, Nilesy-" Aur began.  
"I got what I wanted." Nilesy said. "You don't need to give me a riddle." Aur only smiled.  
"Everyone got a decent thing. I got a flipping riddle!" Caff exclaimed again.  
“Do you fucking _mind_?” Ross asked weakly, pulling himself into a sitting position. “I’m trying to sleep.”  
“Ross!” Smith and Trott hugged him.  
“Help, I’m bring crushed!” Ross laughed. “I’m fine, you twats.”  
Everyone sighed and smiled. Ross was okay, everything was fine.  
"I have enough power to teleport you all back to the portal you came through. Would you like me to do that for you?" Aur asked.  
"I can telepo- ow!" Rythian yelped as Zoeya stepped on his foot.  
"That'd be very helpful, Lady Aur." Zoeya smiled. Rythian glared at her and rubbed his foot.  
"Alright then." Aur waved her hand, and a green portal appeared. "That will take you to your exit."  
Strippin walked up to the portal and went straight through it. He stepped back through a few seconds later. "Portals fine!" He announced before ducking back through.   
"One day, he'll do something like that and get himself killed." Lalna said.  
"Let's hope that's a long way in the future. Or soon, depending on your opinion of him." Honeydew said. "Follow me!" He yelled, and he stepped through the portal. Arian jumped from Zoeya’s shoulders and sat on the stone table Ross had been lying on.  
“See ya later, Arian.” Zoeya scratched their head one last time.  
Xephos, Benji, Ross, Smith, Trott, Tee, Zoeya, Saberial, Nano, Lalna and Lomadia followed through the portal. Rythian was about to step through when he turned back to Caff.  
"Are you coming? I mean, you don't have to but... well, we all want you too." Rythian smiled.  
"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute, I just need to say goodbye..." Caff indicated to Aur and Arian with his thumb.  
"Oh, yeah, of course. I tell the others to wait for you. No promises, though." Rythian stepped through the portal.  
Caff turned back to Aur. "Thank you for helping them."  
"It is no problem, my child." Aur smiled. "Now go, your friends are waiting for you."  
Caff nodded, turned, and walked towards the portal, but stopped as he was about to go through. "Aur, you can see into the future, can't you?"  
"Only vaguely. Why do you ask?" Aur tilted her head slightly.  
"Am... am I going to be happy with these people?" Caff asked. He knew he wasn't supposed to ask the all-powerful being about the future in case it was bad or he tried to change his fate or something, but he couldn't help himself.  
Aur nodded. "You will be happy with them until the day you die."  
"Well, that's good. That's a long time though, right? Will I be able to put up with them for that long?" Caff asked jokingly.   
Aur laughed. "Be safe, Caff."  
"Be safe, Lady Aur." And with that, Caff walked through the portal. “Alright, you bastards, let’s go!”  
The smile dropped from Aur's face as she closed the portal behind Caff. She looked up into the trees.   
"I have done what you asked." She shouted. “Now give her back!”  
"It seems you have. Well done." A voice spoke. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It was deep and had a static undertone.  
"Please, give me back my daughter." Aur pleaded. "You promised me you would if I helped you."  
"Indeed I did." The voice said. "Here you go."   
The skeleton of a young human girl dropped from the trees and landed broken on the ground at Aur's feet. Aur screamed, recognising the corpse by the ragged dress hanging loosely off it, and the patches of long blonde hair on its scalp.   
Haf, her beloved daughter. The one Aur had betrayed her only friend for.  
Dead at her feet.  
Aur sobbed as she fell to her knees. "You promised, you **monster**!"  
"I promised to return your daughter if you healed the Lycanthrope and gave the Lunatics their ‘gifts’. I never said anything about keeping your daughter alive." The voice laughed maniacally as Aur sobbed over Haf's broken body.  
“Do not call them that word. _They are good people_!” Aur screamed.  
“They are _Lunatics_.” The voice hissed, the static growing louder. “ **And they deserve everything they will get**.”  
The forest turned grey as its spirit seemed to age decades in a matter of seconds. Clouds gathered and it began to rain for the first time since the forests creation as the forest wilted. Aur screamed again as the voice laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to VitriolandAlcohol for coming up with the idea of 'Lunatics' as an alternative name for the Full Moons. It was such a good name I had to use it somewhere!  
> Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger, but I'm afraid that's all for now!  
> Due to super important exams that are happening in the summer, I will be unable to write much until around July time. I apologise for this, it's completely unavoidable.  
> HOWEVER, on the 28th of April, it will be the one year anniversary of me joining this site. I'll definitely have something up then, I promise!  
> I may do something on my birthday as well. We'll see.  
> Anyway, thank you for sticking with me, I love you all, follow me on Tumblr (theprettiestoflights), and goodnight!  
> :)

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter two will come out *Coughs* soon...  
> Thank you for reading, friends! :)


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